Two monumental events occurred on March 7, 2011:
1. The Chinese military completed its occupation of all Taiwanese territory south of the Taichung frontline. Realizing the futility of resistance against the mainland forces, Chen Shui-bian ordered most of the remaining defensive units to withdraw and regroup in Taipei for a final, decisive confrontation...
2. The Taiwanese government officially announced that the symbolic Taipei 101 Tower had been attacked by a terrorist organization. Over two thousand soldiers and police officers perished heroically in the assault. Within an hour, more than fifteen terrorist groups of varying scales claimed responsibility. Even the long-absent Osama bin Laden reemerged, declaring it the sequel to 9/11 and issuing a severe warning to those nations aligned with the "American lackeys"...
"Ha… Ha ha..." Liu Tao chuckled as he read the newspaper, remarking to Secretary Chen, "Seems like Chen Shui-bian's got quite the network—Uncle bin Laden himself staged an event just for him!"
"Commander, though the papers say it's a terrorist attack, there's external chatter suggesting it was an assassination attempt on Chen Shui-bian. Some even claim they saw a mecha involved in the battle..."
"Enough speculation. If they say it was terrorism, then terrorism it is. Either way, it'll give that sly fox Chen Shui-bian a headache for a while. Our troops can finally take a brief respite," Liu Tao said, still scanning the headlines.
"But Commander, the 10th is the deadline you set for the seven-day encirclement of Taipei. If we slow down now, I'm afraid..." Secretary Chen warned.
"It doesn't matter anymore. The soldiers have performed admirably," Liu Tao set the paper aside and gave a warm smile. "Beyond gratitude, I feel a deep remorse. This high-intensity combat has surely taken a toll. I can't allow personal ambition to push them further. Back then, I was overwhelmed by Zheng Yu's death… Enough. Inform them that the order is postponed to the 15th. If needed, even the 20th will do. Let everyone rest well. Tell them Liu Tao's banquet will not be missed."
Secretary Chen was genuinely moved by the 45-year-old general before him—a man who truly cared for his soldiers, without a trace of pretense. As the ancient saying goes: "A warrior dies for one who understands him." With a leader like Liu Tao, what is sacrifice?
"Secretary Chen?" Liu Tao called again, noticing his absent expression.
"Ah? Oh—no issue. I'll go deliver the order now."
"Good. Dismissed." Liu Tao waved him off.
As Secretary Chen turned to leave, Liu Tao called after him again, "Do you know the recent whereabouts of Special Operations Team 7?"
"Commander, I'm not entirely certain. A soldier responsible for their meals reported that they haven't been seen since the 3rd—only Director Nie has been spotted. Apparently, they returned late last night. From what the soldiers say, 13 was injured, but they weren't sent to the base hospital. They just took some medical equipment and locked themselves in Director Nie's quarters..."
Liu Tao rubbed his temples and motioned for Secretary Chen to leave.
After stepping outside, Secretary Chen replayed the conversation in his mind and suddenly broke into a cold sweat in the corridor.
"Could it be that the incident at 101... was caused by those four?"
"Nie Yun... Nie Yun, just how many secrets are you keeping from me?" Liu Tao murmured as he stared blankly at the pristine ceiling.
Meanwhile, inside Nie Yun's room…
"Two ribs are fractured, one slightly grazed the lung..." Nie Yun, wearing gloves, spoke as he dressed 13's wounds. "Dozens of bruises, six lacerations from large-caliber rounds. The left palm is severely damaged—massive blood loss. That's probably why he lost consciousness... To end up in this condition... It means his 'emotions' truly collapsed."
"He was already like this when we arrived. There were three mechas present," One reported.
"Yes, Grandfather, taking 13 away wasn't going to be easy. We were prepared to lose one or two of us…" Thirty-Six said calmly.
"But then a strange little girl appeared, along with a terrifying mecha. That's how we managed to leave…" Twenty-Four subconsciously touched her neck.
"A terrifying mecha?" Nie Yun paused his work. "Was it black?"
"No. If it had been black, it wouldn't have been that frightening," Thirty-Six recalled. "It was... invisible. None of us sensed its presence. Its strikes were beyond human speed. A girl, maybe eleven or twelve, seemed to command it. When she appeared and told them to let us go, not a single mecha dared to stop her. As we left, I saw that white mecha—the one that attacked the base—was already forming basketball-sized ion orbs in both hands. But the girl merely said, 'I'll be angry,' and it just stood there, watching us walk away."
"America has stealth weapons?" The bandage slipped from Nie Yun's hand. "Impossible! Stealth tech can't have advanced that far…"
He rushed to his desk and began rifling through a towering stack of documents. Twenty-Four continued tending to 13's injuries.
"Britain's stealth coating isn't even complete—it'll take at least two more years to begin testing. How could the US already possess deployable stealth weapons—especially mechas?"
He picked up the phone and dialed the Central Weapons Research Institute…
"Dr. Zhao! It's Nie Yun. Alert the intelligence network—we need increased surveillance on American mecha developments. I want a full report on all known data immediately!"
"But Director, haven't you already reviewed that material?" asked the puzzled voice on the other end.
"This is different. We've encountered a new enemy. China's future is once again changing…" Nie Yun said gravely.
March 8, 2011, Dawn
13 finally awoke from unconsciousness. Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, he realized he was still alive. So it hadn't been a hallucination—One and the others had truly shown up. Thankfully, he hadn't deployed SEED at the end, or everyone might've been caught in the blast.
"Where… is this?" he asked weakly.
"You're awake?" Twenty-Four looked at him, elated.
"My throat… it's so dry…"
"I'll get you some water." Twenty-Four stood and woke the still-sleeping One and Thirty-Six. She glanced at Nie Yun, who was still absorbed in documents, and chose not to disturb him.
"Kid's got a tough life. Thousands of troops and three mechas couldn't kill him," Thirty-Six said in his usual sarcastic tone.
"Your actions violated Rule One of Special Ops protocol: Never act alone. You're to be expelled from Team 7," One stated sternly.
"I'm sorry... I know I was wrong… But I had something really important to do..." For the first time, 13 showed genuine remorse. One was left momentarily speechless.
"Here's some water." Twenty-Four handed him a warm glass.
"Thank you..." 13 smiled gently.
Everyone froze. Was this really 13? He not only apologized sincerely—he even said thank you?
"Why'd you pinch me?" One glared at Thirty-Six.
"I needed to know if this was a dream. Did it hurt?" Thirty-Six asked earnestly.
"This is how you check..." One pinched him back.
"Ow!" Thirty-Six yelped, startling Nie Yun from his reading.
"Is 13 awake?" Nie Yun approached the bed.
"I…" 13 tried to sit up, but Nie Yun stopped him.
"I know what you want to ask. But now's not the time. I still have work to do, and your body can't handle much talking. We'll speak tomorrow." He turned to One and Thirty-Six. "Now that he's awake, escort him to his quarters."
One and Thirty-Six gently carried him out.
"What a hassle. Should've just sent him to the hospital," Thirty-Six muttered.
"Are you dense? He got hurt without any orders. What do you tell Liu Tao?" Twenty-Four knocked him on the head.
"This entire base is Liu Tao's turf. Keeping secrets from him is impossible. What if he asks where 13 is? Everything we've done would be pointless," Thirty-Six argued back.
"No, Uncle's a smart man. He knows we didn't want him to find out. So he won't ask," 13 said weakly.
"How do you know he won't?" Thirty-Six questioned.
"Back when he got Level-One clearance, he asked me many things… I answered because I had to. Then he held my shoulder and said, 'From now on, unless you're willing, I'll never ask things you don't want to answer…'"
"What a strange man…" Thirty-Six mused.
"A good man, too…" 13 smiled.
Everyone's goosebumps hit the floor…
"13, what's gotten into you today? You sound like a poet…" One said.
"What's wrong with that?" 13 smiled even brighter.
"Twenty-Four, your hands are free—knock him out!" Thirty-Six shivered. "I preferred the cold, stoic version of him."
"You wish. I think this version is lovely," Twenty-Four blushed slightly.
One and Thirty-Six exchanged glances, sighed, and said in unison, "She's smitten…"
Result: three giant bumps on their heads.
13 laughed so hard that his chest wound throbbed again.
That day, everyone knew 13 had changed. He was no longer the unapproachable ice-cold warrior. He was now someone who genuinely expressed joy, sorrow, anger, and gratitude.
He finally understood the words Twenty-Four once said—
"The world isn't as terrible as it seems."
Every moment, he silently cherished one truth:
"It's good to be alive."
And he was truly grateful to the angel who had tried to kill him. She was the one who made him confront his own cowardice…
He could no longer forget the image of that beautiful girl in the park.